Lori La Bey is honored to have Dr. Miia Kivipelto, the Primary Investigator of the landmark FINGER Trial, in Sweden on the show. They discuss the FINGERs study which was the first large scale trial on multi-domain lifestyle based interventions which can reduce the risk of cognition impairment. Specifically they talk about the impact of a healthy diet, exercise, obesity, psycho-social engagement, sleep patterns, stress and loneliness. The FINGER study was published in 2015 and in 2017 expanded to the World Wide FINGERS study, where 15 countries have joined in to expand the trial. In addition to the trial Dr Kivipelto discusses the FINGERS Brain Health Institute. This is a show you won’t want to miss!

Lori La Bey is honored to have Dr. Miia Kivipelto, the Primary Investigator of the landmark FINGER Trial, in Sweden on the show. They discuss the FINGERs study which was the first large scale trial on multi-domain lifestyle based interventions which can reduce the risk of cognition impairment. Specifically they talk about the impact of a healthy diet, exercise, obesity, psycho-social engagement, sleep patterns, stress and loneliness. The FINGER study was published in 2015 and in 2017 expanded to the World Wide FINGERS study, where 15 countries have joined in to expand the trial. In addition to the trial Dr Kivipelto discusses the FINGERS Brain Health Institute.

Alzheimer’s Speaks Radio

Talks With

Live 2 B Healthy

November 6th, 2018

2pm EST, 1pm CST, 12pm MST, 11am PST and 7pm London

Watch By Clicking on Below

Lori La Bey, host of Alzheimer’s Speaks Radio talks with Cory Czepa, Founder & President of Live 2 B Healthy. Joining them will be Bryan Schreifels, the Vice President and Kelly Nygard, the Director of Marketing. Learn how Live 2 B Healthy is helping create better senior housing experiences. Find out how their program encourages seniors of all abilities to improve their strength and balance in a fun group setting.

Move for Minds: The Event for Everyone With a Brain!

You’re invited to join Maria Shriver and The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement for a fun, one-of-a-kind event to wipe out Alzheimer’s. Sign up, fundraise and be a part of this exciting three hour experience featuring an exclusive mind-body workout just for Move for Minds participants!

Come Meet Lori La Bey In Orange County

Exercise your brain and body with a specially designed and fun fitness experience

Engage in a brain healthy marketplace with friends, food, books, experts and more

Educate yourself with a panel of superstars in brain research, fitness, nutrition and more

Empower yourself to save your brain and help wipe out Alzheimer’s

Once you are registered, you will receive tips and tools to make exceeding your $250 fundrasing minimum easy. Your fundraising efforts will benefit womens-based research to understand why women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s.

Exercise is The Key to Improving Motor Skills in People with Dementia

Dementia isn’t just a disease that affects the mind. As it slowly steals away cherished memories, dementia can also cause an increasing loss of basic physical skills, such as getting up from a chair to stretch or even going for a walk.
But there is hope from a 2013 study conducted by the University of Arizona in Tucson.(1)

This study found that in dementia patients, increasing the intensity of the exercises used in a physical therapy program improved balance, leg strength and the ability to change positions. These physical improvements can help reduce falls, preserve independence and improve the overall quality of life for the patient with dementia, as well as their families and caregivers.

Other studies have shown that patients with dementia don’t do well in rehabilitation programs. But this could possibly be due to the fact that the rehabilitation program itself did not take into account certain limitations dementia patients have such as memory loss, difficulty speaking, difficulty understanding speech or simply a lack of motivation.
Based on the results of the University of Arizona study, a rehabilitation program for dementia patients must be specific to their needs and include the appropriate exercise intensity and for a long enough period of time.

This is crucial to remember if most elderly patients are going to be helped. In the United States, up to eighty percent of elderly patients that are part of a physical therapy program have some type of mental impairment, including dementia.
These factors are further reinforced by a 2011 study conducted in Germany. Elderly geriatric patients were divided into two groups of 74 patients each. The first group received a specially designed physical therapy program that took into account the challenges of people with dementia which included additional intensive exercises. The second group received the usual physical therapy program that the hospital provided.

The results showed that compared to patients receiving typical physical therapy, those in the specially designed program with increased exercise intensity had significant improvements in their physical abilities and on follow-up. What’s remarkable is that these improvements lasted nine months, even without continued training!
The takeaway message is this: People with dementia can benefit greatly from an intensive physical therapy program focused on maintaining strength, balance and the ability to walk. This will go far to help the dementia patient with overall health, well-being and independence.
The ARPF has been working with this group of researchers and funded a pilot study called Promoting Virtual Balance Exercise to Prevent Falls and Improve Cognition in Older Adults, which is in its final stages. The results are expected in the Fall of 2014. For more details about our Alzheimer’s prevention research studies, click here.

Your brain is as much flesh and blood as the rest of your body. It is not some mysterious black box. When well cared for, it retains its performance. When neglected, it decays.

A preventative lifestyle is especially important, because the latest research shows that only 30% of Alzheimer’s cases are genetic. The vast majority of cases — 70% — are preventable.

When caring for the brain, just like with the body, some choices have proven consequences. Poor nutrition hurts your brain and your body. Chronic stress is also destructive. Finally, lack of physical exercises also weakens both brain and body.

Alzheimer’s is a multi-factor disease. Physical and mental exercise, nutrition, stress management, and pharmaceuticals play important roles.

Your brain is full of cells called neurons. Few things are more harmful to neurons than chronic stress. Stress hormones are a natural response to release more energy when needed, but with today’s constant stressors, stress hormones can stay at high levels in the blood continuously.

In particular, high levels of cortisol can block the uptake of blood sugar by neurons, causing them to die — and increasing your chances of developing memory loss.

STRESS: Stress management is very important, as there is a very high correlation between high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high cortisol — and Alzheimer’s. Some proven techniques for stress management include meditation, guided hypnosis, prayer, and massage. There are many ways to lower stress, but what’s most important is that you use them regularly.

EXERCISE: Exercise, both physical and mental, can have a great impact on Alzheimer’s risk. Cardiovascular exercise boosts blood flow. And more blood flow equals a healthier brain. Regular physical exercise has been proven to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s by as much as 50%. A good place to start is making sure you exercise three days a week.

Regular mental exercise has been reported to reduce Alzheimer’s risk by 70%. Fortunately, brain aerobics are easy. To be considered brain aerobics, an activity needs to engage your attention, involve more than one sense, and break a routine activity in an unexpected, nontrivial way. Everyone should partake in mental exercise as much as physical exercise.

NUTRITION: Nutrition affects your body, and so it affects your brain, too. The main idea is to avoid foods that cause inflammation, such as red meat. It causes swelling that releases free radicals and damages your neurons. However, the right proteins, like frozen salmon, and a vast intake of vegetables and fruits (like blueberries and spinach) can actually repair the damage and improve your memory. Finally, folic acid and vitamins C and E can reduce your risk by 20% when taken together.

PHARMACEUTICALS: Drugs at the proper time can help restore memory loss. Several medications have shown promise in partially restoring memory at different stages of Alzheimer’s. Hormone replacement therapy can also be used to boost hormone levels when they are low.

By using holistic Alzheimer’s disease prevention strategies, you can benefit by boosting your cognitive performance as well. By lowering stress, eating better, taking regular physical and mental exercise, you can perform better now — and ward off Alzheimer’s later. I will discuss all the 4 Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention™ in the upcoming months, stay tuned.